Lush : Dragons Egg Bath Bomb

It's been getting colder and colder here in Japan and as such I have been taking my fair share of baths to keep warm at night. And what better way to spice up your bath than with a Lush bath bomb! Last night I tried the Dragon's Egg bath bomb.

The Lush USA website describes this as a;
Vibrant Citrus Awakening
As you bathe in the whirlpool of vibrant, fiery colour and inhale the refreshing sherbet scent of lemon and bergamot, you'll feel like you're up and away on the back of your own dragon. Citrus oils are known for their invigorating effect on the mind, and Dragon's Egg is no exception! Drop one of these baby dragons in the bath for a serious wake-up call on groggy mornings or before evenings out.

I have to say I was quite surprised with this bath bomb, it is quite large and so I tried to make two baths out of if by cracking it in half. Sadly I only cracked through the first layer on it and therefore when I went to use the rest of it last night I was thrown for a loop. The first layer contains some fizziness and scent and these gummy-like candies that float in the tub. When you get into the second layer it starts to fiz alot more, has pop rocks in it that crackle, and has TONS of gold glitter!

As I mentioned previously, I am not much for glitter in my bathtub. I was surprised that I liked the Sunny Side bubble bar that I previously reviewed even though it had glitter in it. The dragon's egg bath bomb, however has too much for my taste. Even after I washed my body and such I had gold glitter on myself, I am pretty sure there is still some on me even as I write this post!

Other than the glitter aspect I really liked the scent of this bath bomb! It's a shame that I don't like being glittery. Unfortuantely I wouldn't repurchase this one, but if you like glitter then this is the bath bomb for you!

My 30 for 30 selections

After much thought and deliberation, I chose these items as my finals items for the 30 for30 challenge I am about to embark on.
As I posted earlier this month, the rules for the 30 for 30 are pretty simple. For the next 30 days I will use these 30 items to *hopefully* create 30 different outfits. During this time I am also not allowed to buy any new clothing, hopefully there are no great sales during this next month! I'll blog about my experience here and share all of the outfits I create. I am allowed "extras" like belts and accessories, but nothing more than these 30 pieces.

1 dress:

4 skirts:

3 sweaters:

4 pairs of pants:

5 cardigans:

8 shirts:

3 pairs of shoes:




My final item is a pair of flats I recently ordered that are on their way to me, I will include a picture of them when I get them.

Well wish me luck, I sure know I am going to need it!

Lush Happy Smile set

One of my presents I got from Santa Claus (aka my husband) this last year was this "Happy Smile" set from Lush. I tried looking for this set on the US Lush site, but was unable to find it. I was however able to find the items inside and therefore get descriptions of them for you. The set includes, one bath bomb, 1 bubble bar, and 2 soaps.

(starting clockwise from the green bathbomb...)

The bubble bomb in the set is the Avobath:
The Lush USA website describes it as:
Stimulate your senses with the essential oils of lemongrass and bergamot. Freshly squished avocados are stirred into every batch along with scoops of olive oil to moisturize and nourish your skin, leaving you soft and smooth. Happy skin and a happy disposition all in one best selling bath bomb! If you need a winter-moisturizing treat on a dark drizzly day or a cool refreshing bath in the heat, Avobath!

Of the four items in this set, I would have to say the one I have enjoyed the most is the Avobath. I really enjoy the scent and the way my skin feels afterwards. My husband even likes the scent and thats rare as we don't often like the same scents. We both liked this one so much, that I have already repurchased another one!

The bubble bar in the set is called ゴールドフィーバー(Gold Fever)in Japan, and Sunny Side on the US Lush website.
The Lush USA website describes it as:
These glamorous bars turn your bath water into liquid gold. Sink into the glowing white bubbles and revel in the sparkling gold water while inhaling blissful sweet orange, lemon and tangerine essential oils. This glorious bar will help you see the sunny side of things even when you're feeling gloomy. Emerge refreshed and revitalized.

I always steered clear of this bubble bar, because as much as I like glitter, I didn't want my bathtub coated in it after a bath. I have used half of this bubble bar and liked it, although I think the glitter in the water overtakes any of the scent on this one. After a few minutes you no longer smell the lemon and orange and you end up sitting in a tub of gold glittery water. While this is pretty, its not what I look for in a bath. I am glad I got to try this one, but I don't think I would repurchase it.

The first of the two soaps in the set is called Bohemian.
The Lush USA website describes it as:
Mind-clearing lemon soap.
Bohemian soap is one of our simplest and most beautiful creations; we make it for those with a creative streak to help them to realize their masterworks.
Citrus simplicity.
The simple mix of soap-base and lemon oil effectively cleanses and tones the skin. It remains one of the favourites of our inventors and our customers.

We are currently using this soap in our shower. At first I didn't like it much because I thought it smelled like kitchen cleanser, but the scent has grown on me. The lemon scent definitely wakes you up and makes you feel refreshed. I would consider purchasing this again, but would probably try other soaps from Lush first.

The other soap is called ブラジル娘の唄 in Japan, or Miranda Soap on the US Lush website.
The Lush USA website describes it as:
A fresh fruit salad of a soap, Miranda is made with fresh, organic kiwi fruit because they're bursting with vitamin C and gently cleanse the skin. We add in bergamot because it's soothing and smells of oranges. There's toning ylang ylang and juniperberry for clearing up congested skin and refreshing tired spirits. Simply fruit-tastic.

Since we are still using the Bohemian soap, I have't yet used this one. I will write more about it when I open it up.

Overall I am very satisfied with this gift set, it has lots of fresh smelling items that wake you up. What kind of bath and shower items have you been using lately?

When you need a good nights sleep..use a hot eye steam mask!

So I will be the first to admit I am a sucker for most new things, especially ones I find in the drugstore. I first saw these mentioned in an ad on TV and thought to myself "that's a great idea!", I then went on the hunt to find them.

The idea behind these masks is that not only are they scented but they are heated and the steam helps relax your eyes into sleep. After having tried them a couple times, I have to say that while I like the heating element of them the fragrance is a bit overpowering for me.
Pros:
*keeps your face warm on winter nights
* helps relieve stress on my eyes
* price: 5 masks is 498yen. Which comes to about 99yen per mask.

Cons:
* overpowering camomille-like fragrance

Would I buy this again?
I am definitely considering purchasing them again, but if I do I would buy the unscented ones.

What are things you use to get a good nights sleep?

30 for 30??

I've been pretty busy recently due to various things, so while I haven't been making as many of my own posts, I have been able to read all of the lovely blogs I love. One of those is a fashion blog, Kendi Everyday. One particular aspect of Kendi's blog that I like is her 30 for 30 challenge. The concept of this challenge being that you chose 30 items of clothing from your closet, preferably ones that came be mixed and worn in different outfits, and you wear them for 30 days. In addition to wearing only these 30 items of clothing, you are not allowed to go shopping for clothing during 30 days. Just recently she posted on her blog that she will be holding the next 30 for 30 challenge starting February 1st.
This brings us to the point of my little blog post here, I have been considering joining the next challenge. I think that if I were able to complete the 30 days and not spend any money on new clothes that it would be a great test of my self control and willpower. In addition I may be able to find new ways to wear the clothes I have and start to have a greater appreciation for them.
So I ask you dear readers of my humble blog, would you do the 30 for 30 challenge? I would love to hear what you think! I need more motivation or de-motivation to help me make this decision.

Sneaky santas!

This past holiday season I had two sneaky santas send me presents in the post, which was a wonderful surprise!


The first was from my friend Stephanie back in California, who I believe is aware of this blog as I have mentioned her here a few times. She sent me a delicious box of See's truffles (sorry no picture, DH and I brought them to share with his parents and thus they have been long gone!) the other item was this very interesting paint & peel nail polish by Sula in the color Tango.


The other sneaky santa was non other than my dear blog friend Kat from Mai Kat to Oshaberi. In the past few months I mentioned on twitter how I LOVE Ryan Reynolds and was so happy that he was People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive for 2010. Kat not only sent me one issue of the Sexiest Man Alive issue, but another one with an alternate cover of Ryan. Definitely has been great holiday reading and since my DH is into movies he can read them too and doesn't even notice that I look at the pictures of Ryan more than anything else, lol. In addition to the magazines, Kat also sent me this Grow Luscious mascara by Revlon. She had recently reviewed it on her blog and I was very interested in trying it out, but the inflated price for it here in Japan kept me from purchasing it myself.

I want to say thanks to my sneaky secret santas of 2010! I am very grateful to be blessed with such kind people in my life. If you are interested in reviews of these two products let me know.

Happy New Year!

First of all let me wish everyone a happy new year! あけましておめでとうございます！今年もよろしくお願いします！ This past holiday season was a busy one for me in many ways, but what kept me most busy was the fact that I got married! At this point you may be asking yourself, "did I read that correctly?!". Yes you did, we got married on Christmas eve of last year! We didn't have a ceremony because at this time we cannot afford one, but we do plan to have one in the future.
Since we stayed in Japan this past Christmas and 12/24 was a very lucky day on the Japanese calendar (大安), it seemed quite perfect. To top it all off, Christmas is my favorite holiday!

After we got married, we went to my husbands hometown of Kanazawa for a week. We celebrated new years with them and took wedding pictures. It was very cold there and snowed almost everyday of our trip, if you follow me on twitter you probably saw some of my snowy pics.

I've got a lot of new posts lined up now that I am back in Yokohama, but I just wanted to take the time to wish everyone a happy new year and share some good news!